For many years, Rooney Mara and Charlie McDowell were a couple. They were pretty quiet, but I remember a time when they would get pap’d together every couple of months, usually walking around New York or whatever. They weren’t big on advertising their relationship, so it didn’t make waves (gossip-wise) when Rooney seemingly dumped Charlie out of nowhere and got with Joaquin Phoenix in late 2016/early 2017. I don’t think casual gossip-watchers even realized that there was probably several months of overlap between the start of Rooney’s thing with Joaquin and the end of her relationship with Charlie. I don’t know what Charlie did after their split, but a little more than a year ago, he began quietly dating Lily Collins. And now they’re engaged!
Charlie proposed during what looks like a hiking trip or some kind of romantic vacation in New Mexico. The reason I wanted to talk about the engagement was because Lily did us a solid and gave us some good photos of her ring. And now I think people are lying about it! Take a look at this:
My guess was that the center stone was NOT a diamond. But according to the jeweler, IT IS. WTF?
Lily Collins’ unique engagement ring is fit for an English rose. The “Emily in Paris” actress and daughter of Phil Collins accepted filmmaker Charlie McDowell’s proposal, sharing the happy news on Instagram Friday — and giving fans a close-up look at the special sparkler.
McDowell, the son of actress Mary Steenburgen and actor Malcolm McDowell, tapped celebrity-loved jeweler Irene Neuwirth to create 31-year-old Collins’ ring, which the brand told Page Six Style is a “custom, one-of-a-kind rose-cut diamond” design.
“Thank you for making the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen,” McDowell, 37, wrote to Neuwirth on Instagram, while his bride-to-be added, “Thank you from the bottom of my heart SO much for the most stunning, perfect ring. It’s breathtaking.”
Neuwirth congratulated the couple, calling Collins “the perfect muse” and telling McDowell, “Thank you for trusting me.”
Shannon Delaney-Ron, director of communications for JamesAllen.com, estimates the ring’s center stone at between 2 and 3 carats set in a yellow gold textured bezel setting. For those in search of an Irene Neuwirth rock like Collins’, a similar pink tourmaline style will set you back $3,280, while an opal ring with a likeminded bezel setting retails for $9,230.
“In a time of uncertainty and darkness you have illuminated my life. I will forever cherish my adventure with you,” McDowell captioned his announcement photo, while Collins shared several more shots and wrote, “I’ve been waiting my lifetime for you and I can’t wait to spend our lifetime together…”
Well, if the jeweler says it’s a diamond, I guess it’s a diamond. Maybe it reads differently in photos than it does in person. I do appreciate that he didn’t get Lily a standard solitaire princess cut set in platinum though – as I get older, I do appreciate it when a guy tries to do something different. The setting seems a tad dated to me, but I’m sure she loves the vintage vibe. I also love that she doesn’t have some crazy manicure to “show off” the ring. Unpolished nails, we stan.
Photos courtesy of Instagram.
He also dated Emilia Clarke. Her fans seemed to think he cheated on her. I don’t think that was based on anything factual though.
Think it’s based on the fact that he was fairly serious with Emilia and then seemingly overnight took up with this one and was all over with her. We have no way of knowing if there was actually overlap but based on the timeline I’d be surprised if there wasn’t.
Rooney Mara, Emilia Clarke, and Lily Collins? Personality wise no, but physically he’s really got a type
Eh, I think Rooney is a deviation from the other two. She is more unique and striking, whereas Emilia and Lily are more girlish looking.
Definitely physically! And Korra, while their overall looks are different, all three are very thin pale brunettes actresses. (In person Emelia is incredibly thin tbh she just has a softer look about her compared to the other two) If anything, Emelia was the odd one out, being the only one not from a wealthy background.
Eeh, that is not a diamond. Reminds me a little of Jessica Biel‘s horrible setting but this one is prettier. Miley Cyrus had a ring like this before she got her real engagement ring from Liam, maybe some ring freaks remember that.
It def is a diamond. Rose cut diamonds are flat on the back and faceted on the top – so the effect is more shimmery on the surface rather than sparkly from the inside. I think Jennifer Aniston had a huge one, right? You get a much larger face per carat than you would for a newer cut stone. They’re actually very pretty in person but are notoriously difficult to photograph.
Yup!!!
Yes, I had a rose cut diamond for my engagement ring and it was flat and so lovely and sparkly on top. Art deco-ish setting. They always look bigger than they are because they’re usually so wide. I loved how mine looked like glass. I love this ring and need to figure out a way to continue to wear it!
DD – I had an Edwardian set ring and had the jeweler cut off the shank portion and attach a chain to it so I can wear it as a necklace. It’s a fantastic way to rework a ring.
I’ve never seen a diamond ring with that little sparkle. The color is pretty, but it looks like quartz.
It’s not my taste at all, looks cheap to my eye, but I’m not wearing it.
Jeweler here, and it probably is a diamond. That’s how important cut is. I have a feeling that it’s just a really clear and perfect stone that is also cut with very little depth, which is why you see her finger right through it. My preference for rose cuts (esp ones that are so thin) is for them to be salt and pepper diamonds, that way all the little inclusions and imperfections are what catch and reflect the light (since you won’t have the outer facets on the bottom of the stone to do it for you. Otherwise, they can be kind of lifeless without that brilliant cut…. That said, I love that her ring is unique and that it’s right for her. The most important thing, for sure. 😀
yeah, rose-cut (which is very…19th century?) doesn’t really make the diamond shine. it looks more like morganite gemstone than the modern round brilliant diamond.
Kind of looks like a class ring that was made simple looking. I have seen some of the newer trendy rings (ie, the ones that aren’t diamond solitaires set in platinum), and have seen prettier and more creative ones. This just looks clunky to me. and is the gold matte? none of it sparkles at all….
But it’s not mine and as long as she’s happy!!
He dated Emilia Clarke for a hot minute so we now know he has a type: Eyebrows.
lol!
I love the ring. Very cool. I don’t think they all have to sparkle
Her instagram caption should have said, “I’ve been waiting for this moment all my life.” Missed opportunity.
Haha.
Took me a moment – very funny k!
Took me a moment, too. Worth it!!
Same!
Lol I’m ashamed to say I had to Google that to get the joke 😔
Oh lord.
Now you will remember and don’t worry. 😉
I sang that in my head as I read it! Bravo.
Haha me too! I totally heard Phil singing!
Looks like a costume jewelry ring I could buy a boutique for <$20. I Dont get the hype.
I had no idea that Mary S. and Malcom M. had a son! I guess I haven’t been paying attention these past 30 years, but I do love Mary!
I kind of like the ring, even though there’s no discernible sparkle. It has a cool vintage vibe, and I like that she presented it with unpolished nails.
“I had no idea that Mary S. and Malcom M. had a son!”
yeah, this was the most interesting information in the post, IMO. I had no idea!
Charlie has a funny schtick going with Andie MacDowell on Instagram where he sends her Mother’s Day greetings instead of to Mary Steenburgen. He lives on the coast just below Santa Barbara and his dad lives in Ojai with his new family. There is also a sister from the Mary S/Malcolm M marriage who has a couple of kids. Mary S is of course married to Ted Danson. All their instagrams have great family shots! I loved Charlie’s movie The One I love with Elisabeth Moss and Mark Duplass.
It mildly irritated me that she was introduced as an actress and Phil Collins’s daughter, but *he* was introduced as a filmmaker, without identifying his (many) connections in the lede.
Who took the second picture where he’s on his knees? lol Unless he propped up this cellphone there himself? but then that’s not much of a surprise. I just always side-eye engagement pics that look very staged. Especially celeb ones.
Congratulations to them! I think the ring looks vintage and is really cool. Best wishes to the happy couple.
They seem really happy so I’m happy for them. But I agree staged engagement photos bug me too. Some things should be private and not re-created.
I couldn’t care less if it’s a diamond or not. That tradition was just an early 20th century ad campaign, anyway. I think it’s a lovely ring. Congrats to them.
I have a rose cut garnet in a gold bezel setting on my right hand and love it. (I never knew the name of the cut until now.) It’s super pretty. But a rose cut diamond? No thank you. Her ring would be prettier if it were a sapphire or other color semi-precious stone. They talked so much about the jeweler I bet the ring was a sponsorship deal.
Yeah and the jeweler commented too? Definitely some kind of deal.
It looks like a rose cut diamond
Huh. I just looked up rose cut stones, and I’m not a fan. It doesn’t seem to add any shimmer or sparkle, actually kinda made some stones look cloudy in the middle. I saw a side-by-side of two diamonds, one rose cut and one round brilliant, and it made the rose cut look like glass in comparison. I want to see it even closer!!!
We just got engaged and I have a very simple pavé band, large center stone (1.6, which was a wonderful shock) and halo (the halo is small and has the right proportions, we see so many halos that are too big these days). Long story short, it’s very simple, others have similar designs, but I just love it. He did spend some time going back and forth with the jeweler to make some tiny tweaks – he wanted the center stone to “sit higher” than the halo, and wanted the halo to have no visible setting, and had the band a little rounded off so it wasn’t so angular. It was crazy to see the CAD drawings he and the jeweler were sending back and forth. I might not have gone with the halo, we just see so many these days where the proportions are off. But he knew then it would take up more space on my finger, and I have big hands, so he thought I’d like that 😂 he was right!! Even though it’s a popular motif right now, hopefully it feels classic forever.
Thanks for all the info?
Hahahahah!
LOL! Julie for the comment win today!
Not my style of ring, but it is pretty. It’s also pretty modest and wearable for a celebrity!
She looks very happy, Congrats to them.
These days has anything to smile about..I’m glad to hear about it.
Who cares who anybody used to date?
Dating is how you learn about your wants and needs..not every relationship is gonna end in marriage or the marriage last until death do us part.
Rose cuts don’t ‘sparkle’ and I have really grown to love them. Much more interesting than yet another giant emerald cut or cushion halo (common as muck!). Another unique cut is a portrait cut diamond. Very old world.
Good luck to them. This is lovely news
I like the ring. I’m a gold smith and I sell more rose cuts than other cuts atm 😉 it is def on trend.
It needs to be foil backed (like a vintage one). This helps light reflect back up instead of traveling straight through, and means then diamond won’t appear the color of the skin underneath.
It makes no sense to me to pay gobs of money for a large diamond that doesn’t sparkle much. I could do the same thing with a rose cut CZ for a lot less money.
That was my first thought, you can just see her skin. Seems a shame to pick a stone known for brightness/sparkle and not show that off a bit at least. I find diamonds just dull and a bit pointless otherwise. DeBeers (I think) persuaded us that they are THE engagement ring choice but other stones are far more interesting.
Diamond marketing is WILD. Look over the last 100 years and the influence it has had on society. Who cares what someone picks, if it makes them happy & fits their budget.
Get a sapphire, get a moissanite, do whatever you want. Colored gem stones used to be the height of sophistication until De Beers & Tiffany decided to shove diamonds down everyone’s throats as if they’re unique. They’re beautiful but they are on every other persons hand… how is that unique?
I not saying they’re not great, I love them, I am slightly obsessed with jewelry! But I’m always interested in alternative to express ones style more distinctly.
Yes! There are so many colorful stones out there. It’s a shame diamonds are seen as the be all, end all. Or that any other clear stones, like moissanite, are seen as faux-diamonds instead of a stone in their own right.
Interesting. I thought it was a pink stone until you mentioned it’s her skin underneath!
It’s horrible.
I was coming here to rage about how he’s so much older only to be shocked silly that Lily is 31!!!! She looks like a little baby.
I really thought she was like 25 at most before today!
You did this with Aniston’s ring from Justin. Rose cut diamonds are beautiful they’re just not super sparkly! It doesn’t make them quartz just because you don’t like the cut, ha!
I really like that ring, but that’s probably not a diamond.
The point of diamonds (besides the hardness) is they have a very high index of refraction, i.e. they bend and bounce light more aggressively than lower index of refraction materials like glass do.
There’s something called the “newspaper test” that you can do with stones that are point-side up like her ring’s stone is. You put them on a printed page, and if the stone is a diamond, you won’t see anything through it — not even squiggles from the printing — because diamond bounces and bends the light coming into it from the top so strongly. The light coming from below mostly doesn’t make it through, but the light coming down from the top bounces back.
I put a cubic zirconium point-side up on a coloured background just now, and even it shows a big starburst of white light obscuring the colour below it. A diamond would have show even more of that effect.
So the pink colour showing through her ring is probably the colour of her finger, not just the colour of the stone, and if this were a diamond, then we’d see more bright facets of light. It wouldn’t look a homogeneous colour like that; it would sparkle.
But again, I really like this ring, and it’s clearly chosen to suit Lily’s taste in jewellery, so good for her, but pooh to the jeweller; I dun believe it.
So….what is it?